Co-ownership – restricting the retainer
A recent case reminds us that one of the many issues that conveyancers have to advise on regularly is co-ownership, and more particularly the ownership arrangements to be made when the purchasers are not married or in a civil partnership. If the buyers are married etc then, should the marriage break down, the court has […]
Accountants’ body applies to regulate legal services
The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) have applied to become a regulator of five further restricted legal activities, on top of existing probate work. The ICAEW say they expect the Legal Services Board to decide on the matter in the next year. If successful, accountants will be able to hold rights of audience, […]
Scam Alert Round up 25th July
Here is the latest scam alert issued by the Solicitors Regulation Authority Emails falsely claiming to be from Portner Law Limited An email has been sent to a client of Portner Law Limited claiming to be from “Sara Gerrard”, providing false bank account details. The email came from the slightly different address of SG@potrner.co.uk”, where […]
Law Society publishes practice note on e-Signatures
The Law Society have released a practice note on e-signatures for contracts. The society say solicitors will be able to make greater and more confident use of technology in their day-to-day work following the release of the practice note on the use of e-signatures for commercial contracts. The note sets out the relevant law around the […]
Number of bogus law firms doubles in three years
Bogus law firms are sprouting up at an alarming rate with 700 a year springing up. According to the Solicitors Regulation Authority the number of reports they receive has more than doubled since 2012 with almost half of these involving criminals copying the identity of an existing law firm. Bogus law firms can directly target […]
Is there a hole in your conveyancing searches?
Reports of sinkholes and subsidence have increased over the last couple of years with more instances of voids opening up near homes; a recent example includes a 30ft sinkhole opening up last month in Carmarthen, South Wales due to historic lead mining and another 50ft sink hole which was 6ft wide opened up on Monday […]
Build relationships with referrers now to avoid potential downturn
As if the extraordinary events of early summer weren’t daunting enough – leaving the security of the European Union, the pound going into free fall, and a new prime minister in place before anyone could catch their breath – the reality of where to find new clients in a potential downturn looms large. How to […]
Is disjointed technology holding you back?
Start by asking this: are lawyers and administrators spending valuable time looking for information – be it a document, client folder, phone number or billing details? If the answer is yes to any of the above, then the firm is most likely being held back by disjointed technology systems. By reducing the time wasted on […]
Groundsure Charity Golf Day 2016
Groundsure are hosting their inaugural charity golf day on 30th September 2016 at Cottesmore Hotel Golf and Country Club, West Sussex, raising money for Prostate Cancer UK.
Midnight deadline on second home SDLT supposed to “minimise distortions”
The midnight deadline for the 3% stamp duty surcharge on additional properties was supposed to minimise any distortion in the marketplace according to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury David Gauke MP. Speaking at a session of the public bill committee, the MP for South West Hertfordshire also confirmed that so-called “Granny Annexes” would be […]
Improve your personal and business security
Ken Munro, ethical hacker, covers recent data breaches and explains the ways in which people, passwords and patches need to work together to avoid a breach. More information on Cyber and how to Prepare, protect and prevent This article was submitted to be published by Howden UK Limited as part of their advertising agreement with […]
Home ownership rates stable after decade of decline
Home ownership rates are stable across England for the first time since 2003 according to the English Housing Survey for 2014/15. According to the report there were 14 million owner-occupiers in 2014/15, with 80% of those that applied for a mortgage given one. Statistics also say 52,500 have bought through the Right to Buy scheme […]
Transactions down 11% on 2015 for June, say HMRC stats
The number of transactions worth more than £40,000 was 11% lower this June compared with June 2015, according to statistics released by HMRC. In total there were 102,010 house purchases, down from 114,770 in June 2015. However there are signs the market is beginning to recover from the effects of the SDLT reforms which saw transaction levels […]
Cross-Marketing Made Effective
I know what you are thinking, because if I had £100 for every time I’ve heard it, I’d probably be in the Bahamas now, not writing this blog for you to read… ‘We’ve spent thousands on training to cross-market in our practice and it’s been a waste of money. The day after the training, everyone […]
Stockport firm wins prestigious regional business prize
Gorvins Solicitors have been named “Law Firm of the Year” at the City of Manchester Business Awards. With judges citing their commitment to staff training and their working relationship with clients, the firm say they’re thrilled. Mark Deverell, Senior Partner at Gorvins Solicitors said: “We are so thrilled to win this award and believe it […]
Half a million over 55s looking to move but think suitable homes aren’t there
An apparent lack of suitable housing is putting off half a million over 55s who would otherwise be moving according to a survey by YouGov – around 4% of the total population at that age. The survey commissioned by the Homeowners Alliance and BLP insurance discovered 6% of homeowners age fifty-five or older say they […]
Specialist property law regulator seeks new Council members
The CLC has announced that it is looking for new members of its governing Council to fill roles that will soon become vacant as members come to the end of their maximum terms. The majority of the new roles will begin in April 2017. There are vacancies for two lay (non-lawyer) members and three lawyer […]
Search Acumen comments on the HMRC Number of Property Transactions, June 2016
Andy Sommerville, Director of Search Acumen, comments on the HMRC Number of Property Transactions, June. “The year on year deterioration in residential transaction figures in June, which today’s HMRC data shows, will not come as a surprise to stakeholders in our industry. After the pre-April spike in activity, we now continue to see the stamp […]
SearchFlow responds to HMRC transaction data, June 2016
HMRC transaction data reveals today the number of residential property transactions increased by 4.9% between May 2016 and June 2016. Greg Bryce, Managing Director at SearchFlow, comments: “The figures indicate a slight increase in the transaction level despite the uncertainty during the run up to the referendum. And whilst this is 10.2% lower than the […]
Revealed: the conveyancers most frequently mentioned by LeO
These are the most conveyancers who were on the receiving end of the most Legal Ombudsman decisions between April 1st 2015 and 31st March 2016. In total there were 344 firms subject to 460 decisions. Keppe & Partners was subject to 14 decisions with a remedy required in 13 decisions, including two where the firm […]
